Reaching for the Horizon
by summerstwilight
Summary: Will Turner's son and Norrington discuss the horizon. implied possible slash


Title: Reaching for the Horizon  
Pairing/Characters: Jack/Elizabeth, implied Will Jr/Norrington  
Word Count: 911  
Rating: PG  
Summary: Elizabeth's son learns a little more about his mother, and is not entirely sure how to react  
Disclaimer: Pirates of the Caribbean doesn't belong to me, it belongs to Disney.  
Spoilers: General spoilers for both movies  
Warnings: implied possible future slash  
Notes: This was written for one of the challenges on Pirate Challenge on livejournal.

"What did you think of my father?" William Turner Jr. took a large sip of his grog. He settled the mug heavily on the table, worse for its contents. He stared blearily across the table at James Norrington. Norrington was grayer then he had been when Will first remembered meeting him as a boy. He had long since hung up his uniform, retiring to his corner of the pub. He was rarely visited there, except, on occasion, by the young Will.

"Wretched, vile man. Hated him. Almost hung him." Norrington started to slur as he waved his mug at the boy. "Probably should have when I had the chance."

"What? He was a good man." Will sputtered.

"He was a pirate."

"My father was NOT a pirate. He was respectable, a good sailor, a good swordsman, a good blacksmith when need arose."

"Oh, you were talking about Will Turner." Norrington said simply, taking a sip as though nothing was wrong. To say that James Norrington had not calculated the moment was to give him far less credit then he deserved. To say that he had not tried to dream up a way to avenge himself on Will, Elizabeth, and Jack was to give him far more credit then he deserved.

"Who else would I be talking about?" Will's face had run the gamut of emotions from confused to upset to angry.

"Well you_did_mention your father, so I assumed that that was who you were referring to." Norrington shrugged.

"Yes, my father. William Turner. He _is_ my father." Will was insistent, the grog giving him more courage then he would normally have had.

"A good man he may be, and William Turner may be many things, but your father he is not. And he isn't that good a man."

"He is my father!"

"Your father-" Norrington waved his mug for emphasis. "Your father is none other then Jack Sparrow."

"Captain Jack?"

Norrington snorted. "Another misnomer. But yes, that man." He took a long gulp, draining the mug and slamming it down.

"He could not be my father. Unless my mother-"

"Your mother was engaged to me and left me. Is it so hard to think that she may have… not always been faithful?"

"My mother would never-"

"Your mother is as shifting and trustworthy as the sea herself. Just as beautiful. Just as deadly. Can I get some more over here?" Norrington yelled in the general direction of the bar, ignoring the look of hatred that Turner was giving him. He turned around to face him, finding he had turned a delightful shade of tomato red. "Come now, Will. Didn't you ever wonder? Didn't you ever realize exactly how much like Jack you looked? Didn't you think it odd to have a famous, wanted man always around the house, as a welcome friend no less? Didn't you ever see him with your mother?"

"No. It's not true. I am my father's son; I am William Turner's son."

"Sure. And my aunt is the Queen of England. She ought to have been whipped as a child. Or an adult. She probably would have enjoyed it too much, though. Full pardon did her no good."

"Full pardon?"

"Both William Turner and Elizabeth Swann were going to be sent to gallows and hung by the neck until dead for assisting in the escape of one Captain Jack Sparrow. They both received full pardon through a very long and complicated series of events that resulted in the then commander, Cutler Beckett, being arrested, and the reinstatement of my commission. The pardons were to placate the Governor."

"I don't… I don't believe you."

"Have I ever lied to you, William? In any of my stories, or tales, or in any way? No. You've trusted me thus far, why not trust me now?" Norrington leaned across the table, sneering, almost leering at the boy. "Elizabeth was always fascinated by pirates, particularly Sparrow. And she did run away to join his crew…"

"She would never-"

"The interesting part of your mother is that she has always craved freedom. She thought she found it with him. She ran away, and ran to him. She would have stayed there forever if Will and her father hadn't gotten in the way. It was probably her greatest regret."

"She told you that?"

"Yes, of course, she poured her soul out to me a fortnight ago." Norrington sneered. "No. It isn't hard to see, if you had even a shred of objectivity."

Will stood up abruptly, pushing his mug across the table. "I do not need to listen to you for another moment. You insult my mother, my father, and myself." He started to walk away.

"It was an experiment, Will." Norrington yelled across the bar. "She thought she found her freedom. She had sailed everywhere she knew, and she wanted more. She wanted not only the horizon, but what was beyond her. You cannot fault her for that."

"No. I do not fault her because I do not believe it happened." Will had stopped and turned to face Norrington. "I fault you, for daring to say such things."

"Haven't you ever wondered, Will? Haven't you ever wondered what lies beyond that horizon?" Will stood still, facing his questioner. Norrington walked over to Will. "I could show you. I've been there are back. There was a reason your mother wished to visit." Will looked up, questioningly.

"Beyond the horizon?"

"Beyond the horizon."


End file.
